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04/03/08--16:32: More heavenly nectars from Prowein 2008 (chan 1568815)

For those of you in search for some more heavenly nectars besides Madeira wine: I was lucky enough to taste a couple of Sherries, Montillas and others at the Prowein 2008 wine-fair in Düsseldorf, Germany in march, so here are the tasting notes:

Sherry:

Alvaro Domecq
PX 1730 20YO
Coffee color, thick and viscous, sweet and fruity nose, sweet palate with lots of acidity, toffee and caramel, raisins as well, long toffee finish. Very good!
Aranda Cream
Dark tawny, nutty nose and sweet palate with nuts and almonds, slightly yeasty. Made from 80% Oloroso and 20% PX, well balanced.

Lustau
East India Solera
The famous „hot house sherry“ from Lustau, showing a medium iodine brown, nose with dried fruits and bread, palate quite sweet with dried fruits as well, yeasty, nutty, high acidity, finish of medium length. Even though this sherry undergoes heating like the cheaper Madeira wines, the result is completely different.

Fernando de Castillo
PX 3YO
Dark iodine color, nutty nose with chocolate, sweet palate with nuts and raisins, chocolate finish with medium length, well done for such a young PX.

Bodegas Tradicion
Pedro Ximenez 20YO
Very dark brown, almost black in color, complex nose with sweet raisins, figs, cinnamon, amazing palate with 380 gr/l sugar, but high acidity to balance it out perfectly, toffee, raisins, figs, nuts, and cinnamon again, with a long and complex finish, what a perfect dessert wine – or as a dessert on its own!

Bodegas Hidalgo
Alameda Cream
Bright tawny, nutty nose with figs, sweet palate with nuts, orange peel, lots of acidity and a long nutty finish.
Triana PX
Coffee color, raisin nose, the palate is very sweet with almonds, figs and raisins, toffee finish of medium length.

Williams & Humpert
Oloroso Reserva Especial 15YO
Medium dark iodine, sweet oxidized note, reminding me of a good Madeira wine, but the palate is all sherry of course, nutty, just a hint of sweetness, a little coffee as well and then a long nutty and slightly bitter finish, very complex and well done.

Sanchez Romate
PX
Dark cola color, sweet nose with dried plums, coffee, raisins and caramel, the very sweet palate is dominated by figs and raisins, very complex, with a long raisin finish.

Montilla-Moriles:

Bodegas Navarro
Medium Cream PX
Bright coffee color, sweet toffee nose, palate with lots of caramel and toffee, quite sweet with enough acidity to counterbalance the sweetness. A well done sweet wine for dessert.
Pale Cream
Pale and bright yellowish lemon color, quite misleading, nutty and yeasty nose, sweet palate with lots of acidity and surprisingly dry finish, interesting wine and very unusual.
Amontillado Muy Viejo Solera Fundacion 1830
Tawny color with very nutty nose, lots of almonds too, dry palate, very nutty, complex, almonds and a long dry and nutty finish that goes on for one minute, amazing wine.
Pedro Ximenez 5YO
Dark cola color, nose with lots of figs and raisins, sweet palate with figs, raisins and enough acidity to go along, long raisin finish. Well done.
Pedro Ximenez Solera Fundacion 1830
Dark coffee color, nutty complex nose with figs and raisins as well. The palate is very sweet, with a texture and viscosity like crude oil, very complex, lots of toffee, caramel too, dried fruits, raisins, long sweet finish with figs and raisins and just enough acidity. A dessert of its own, with stunning complexity, very sweet but... wow.
Arrope
The pure grape juice of PX, slowly cooked until it becomes a thick and dark sirupy liquid, essence of grape aroma, together with caramel, no alcohol at all, perfect for dessert, with vanilla ice cream and pancakes. A great experience, and my kids liked it a lot!

Douro:

Moscatel Favaios 10YO
Golden color, typical moscatel nose with raisins, very sweet moscatel palate with orange and a little lemon, enough acidity to balance the sweetness, lemon finish of medium length.

Moscatel de Setubal:

Casa Ermelinda Freitas Moscatel Superior 2000
Bronze color, nose with typical moscatel flavor and apricot as well, the palate is all apricot and typical moscatel raisin flavor, very sweet and enough acidity to go with it, long and sweet apricot finish.




06/10/08--09:03: Wiehl Madeira Tasting 2008 (chan 1568815)

Ever since the Great Seattle Madeira Tasting with Roy in January 2007 I had dreamed about a Madeira tasting in Central Europe. So a couple of months ago I set out to organize a tasting of about 15 old Madeira wines. But how soon was I to realize that Central Europe is not really the heart of Madeira wine lover country. Response was minimal and so the planned tasting did not come to life. But the idea still lingered in my mind and when I met three other Madeira aficionados a couple of months ago at the German Prowein 2008 wine fair in Duesseldorf, we decided for a small scale tasting as a start. So Sunday the 8th of June we met in Wiehl for a tasting of 8 old Madeira wines. Our hosts Maik and Claudia had prepared a delicious menu as a solid foundation. They are serious Madeira wine fanatics, in fact their home is the only place known to me that features a painting of -guess what- a Madeira wine bottle as decoration, it's a Blandy 1971 Boal to be exact. After a wonderful meal we went right to work with 8 old wines with a medium age of 103 years and a total of 821 years of Madeira wine history, the youngest wine being 52 years of age, the oldest being 173 years old.



Wonderful decoration for the Madeira tasting.

The lineup was:
More than 40 years, Verdelho-Blend, Manuel Eugenio Fernandes Lda.
1955 Verdelho, Manuel Eugenio Fernandes Lda.
1882 Verdelho, AO-SM/Miles
1835 Brown Madere Imperial, Nicolas-Charenton-Seine
1925 Boal, H. M. Borges Lda.
1900 Boal, Adegas de Torreao Vinhos Lda.
1890 Malmsey, Cossart Gordon
1900 Moscatel, D'Oliveira
And as a special treat we had a port at the end of the tasting:
Porto Dom Rozès, more than 40 years, Tawny



The line-up of the Madeira wines.

More than 40 years, Verdelho-Blend, Manuel Eugenio Fernandes Lda.
This wine had been started by Manuel Eugenio Fernandes as a private reserve in his house in Seixal. For his 96th birthday the wine had been bottled by the Madeira Wine Company in 2002. Since the regulations of the IVBAM only allow a blend with a maximum age of 40 years, this wine had to be labelled as a 40YO, even though the age of the blend was 52 years. The wine had a bright iodine color and was quite turbid, with long legs in the glass. The nose was very subdued at first, lots of volatile acidity and only little fruit. But the bottle had just been opened the night before, so there was good hope for a positive development as the tasting went on. And indeed, after three hours the wine had opened up perfectly, with a wonderful fruity nose, vanilla as well. The palate had been rather spirity at first but now showed good fruit, perfectly balanced acidity with just the right amount of sweetness, then a creamy toffee aroma, impressions of an old cognac and a long fruity finish. A good wine that demonstrated perfectly how important a long decanting time is for Madeira wines.

1955 Verdelho, Manuel Eugenio Fernandes Lda.
This was a bottle without any IVM or IVBAM seal, the bottling company was not mentioned. The color was brilliant iodine with tawny rim. The bottle had also been opened just the night before, so the nose was again very subdued, with little toffee and small amounts of VA. After three hours the wine had also opened up, but not as much as the first wine. So a fair judgement of this wine was not really possible, since I am sure that the wine needed more breathing time. The palate was spirity with only little fruit and a bitter finish, in general very much alike the first wine, but lighter in style. I will have to come back to this wine at a later time.

1882 Verdelho, AO-SM/Miles
This Verdelho had been bought by the MWC from D'Oliveiras in the 1970ies or 1980ies, shown by the letters AO-SM (Anibal D'Oliveira, Sao Martinho) on the bottle. A lot of the bottled wines had these letters removed later since the mid 1990ies but this bottle had been older, so the letters were intact. The wine showed a warm and dark iodine color with long legs in the glass. The nose was wonderfully harmonious with just the right amount of VA to add complexity, toffee and dates as well. The palate showed a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity, in fact the wine was quite sweet for a Verdelho, lots of fruit and raisins, toffee and creme brulée, also a background of roasted aromas that were also dominant in the long fruity finish. A wonderful wine and the first highlight of the tasting!



Three Madeira wine beauties.

1835 Brown Madere Imperial, Nicolas-Charenton-Seine
After I had been able to taste this wine twice, now had been the third time. The bottle had been bought at auction and since it was leaking from the transport I had overwaxed the cork. Until the 1970ies, the Nicolas Company, wine merchants in Paris had a couple of small casks filled with old Madeira, and the bottle had been from one of these casks. I had decanted the wine 8 days before the tasting, knowing that it was a very concentrated wine. Initially the wine had displayed a disgusting nose of sweating horse and insane amounts of VA. Now the color was medium bright ebony and the nose still had some VA, but also fruit, toffee and violets, two days later I also noticed pipe tobacco and bees wax. The palate showed lots of acidity, but well balanced with medium sweetness, fruit and violets again, also some roasted aromas in the background that led to long and bitter finish. A concentrated wine and quite complex.

1925 Boal, H. M. Borges Lda.
This bottle had the typical wicker cover of the cheap three year old blends that are commonly used to scare tourists away from becoming Madeira wine lovers. It featured a small and round JNV seal of authenticity on the neck that insisted on sticking to the wicker. The color was medium iodine brown and the nose was perfectly mellow and harmonious, lots of toffee, fruity, violets and roasted aromas as well, after a while also a pleasant honey aroma. On the palate the wine even shifted to a higher gear, showing lots of fruit and even more caramel, lots of toffee as well, mellow and complex, a glimpse of violets and then a long toffee finish with a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity. The wine had been opened a couple of months ago and now showed the full glory of a perfect and classic Boal, another highlight of the tasting.

1900 Boal, Adegas de Torreao Vinhos Lda.
This bottle with an IVM paper seal had been bought in Portugal. The stencils had been damaged by leaking bottle in the package, but they were still clearly legible and the cork was printed with "Adegas de Torreao, Vinhos, Lda, Madeira". The wine showed medium bright iodine and featured a mellow and harmonious nose of toffee and ginger cake. At the first sip the wine really jumped at you, with lots of acidity, just a little spirity at first, caramel, toffee and fruit and then... a short and bitter finish, leaving the mouth yearning for more. From the nose and the first attack I had expected a bit more length and body, but the wine was nevertheless interesting. After three hours in the glass it developed more length, even though the wine had been decanted 8 days before.



Shades of pleasure.

1890 Malmsey, Cossart Gordon
This wine was another highlight of the tasting. With dark iodine color and a very harmonious caramel nose it showed its full power in the mouth. The wine was very impressive with lots of sweetness but well balanced, raisins were dominant at first, but also bread, huge amounts of caramel and a creamy toffee taste as well, mellow and mouth watering, then a shift towards more darker and roasted aromas with coffee and molasses and finally a long toffee finish. The roasted aromas kept the wine from being cloying and so this malmsey was very pleasant. A perfect wine, a classic malmsey, complex and impressive.

1900 Moscatel, D'Oliveira
Even though I have known this wine a long time, liking it for a long time I am always happy to taste this Moscatel Madeira. These Moscatels are rare today, the only other two wines that are still available are the 1875 Moscatel from D'Oliveira and the Moscatel Reserva Velha from Artur de Barros a Sousa, two wonderful wines as well. This Moscatel showed a warm and dark chestnut brown with orange rim. The nose was all sweet figs with a little bread as well. On the palate the wine was very sweet, showing just enough acidity to balance the sweetness, and then there were lots of raisins, caramel and a little molasses. Also in the finish the wine showed a slightly roasted impression keeping it from being cloying despite the dominant sweetness. A wonderful wine that wins me over every time and a perfect wine for the end of the tasting.

Porto Dom Rozès, more than 40 years, Tawny
This interesting tawny in an old-style port bottle was our dessert. With a brilliant brick color and a fruity and grapy nose the wine reminded me almost of a Moscatel de Setubal. Also on the palate this tawny was very fruity and grapy, sweet and mellow, again with hints of Moscatel. What an impressive wine, especially for me as a port-only-twice-a-year drinker.



Three satisfied Madeira tasters.

Five hours went in a hurry and even though the discussion still went on, especially about the Fernandez wines, we had to part. Also the European soccer championship was about to continue with the evening match up of Germany vs. Poland, even though I admit my sympathies are with the NFL. As a bottom line, we had tasted 8 wonderful and fascinating old Madeiras and the motivation was (and is) strong in all of us to work out another Madeira tasting on a larger scale of 12 to 15 wines. Anybody interested in a tasting in Central Europe/Germany is welcome to email me and as the planning moves ahead you will be notified.
A big thank you goes to the hosts Maik and Claudia for the perfect preparation and the delicious menu and to Gerd for three outstanding rarities. I will taste with you guys anytime!





10/18/08--10:17: Berlin IVBAM Madeira Tasting 2008 (chan 1568815)

Berlin is always worth a visit. But on Thursday, October 16th, this was even more so. The AICEP, the Portuguese chamber of foreign investments and commerce represented by Matthias Meichsner had invited for a tasting of Portuguese wines. Having joined forces with the Independent Winegrowers Association IWA and the Instituto do Vinho do Bordado e do Artesanato da Madeira IVBAM, 10 different producers presented almost 80 wines for tasting.
From Madeira island, four producers had come to Berlin. Henriques & Henriques Vinhos SA was represented by Humberto Jardim, who had brought the full range of blends, as well as a medium rich 1998 harvest wine. The Madeira Wine Company SA, represented by Jaques A. Faro da Silva showed a wide range of blends together with four different colheitas and a single harvest wine from 1998. Americo Pereira from Vinhos Barbeito Lda. had brought many blends and also the unique 2000 Malmsey single cask 44a, the 20yo lote 6072 and a single harvest wine from 1997. Last but certainly not least, Vinhos Justino Henriques Filhos Lda. had brought the full range of blends, also some wines bottled under their East India brand and the 1996 colheita. Julio Fernandes was their representative and shocked me with the sad news of the death of Sigfredo da Costa Campos, owner of VJH, with whom I had met just a couple of months ago at the Düsseldorf ProWein wine fair. I still remember sipping on their Old Terrantez Reserve with him and his energetic wife Helena. After John Cossart, this is another tragic loss to the community of Madeira wine lovers. Julio Fernandes lightened my spirits though by giving me a bottle of VJH’s 10yo Malmsey, one of my favourite 10yo blends. This was only topped by Paulo Rodrigues, chairman of the board of the IVBAM, giving me a beautifully embroidered apron from Madeira that will have a place of honour in my Madeira wine cellar.
After a perfect afternoon of tasting Madeira wine and eating delicious Bolo de Mel, a Madeira wine seminar with Portuguese wine expert David Schwarzwalder was yet another highlight. My head was filled with pleasant tasting memories (and some Madeira wine too) as I took the train home. A big thank you goes to Matthias Meichsner of AICEP for the invitation, to all the representatives of the producers and to Paulo Rodrigues of IVBAM. From the reaction of the 150+ wine lovers attending the tasting, I would conclude that it was a successful event and one that should be repeated in 2009.
Amongst many other wines, the following wines had been opened for tasting:

Henriques & Henriques Vinhos SA
1998
Medium Rich Single Harvest
Made from Tinta Negra Mole, this wine shows a medium dark mahogany color and a beautiful and fudgy toffee nose. In the mouth there is medium sweetness, a sharp acidic entry, then more toffee and a coffee finish of medium length.

Madeira Wine Company SA
Alvada, Blandy
Yes I know what serious Madeira wine lovers think of Alvada. I admit I used to be one of those. But drinking it slightly cooled, this medium mahogany colored wine shows a rich and fruity nose and a sweet and very fruity palate with a surprisingly long fruity finish. This wine is easy to drink and very enjoyable.
15YO Malmsey, Blandy
This wine has a brilliant medium dark iodine color and a complex nose with fudge, nuts and some roasted aromas. On the palate it was rather sweet, with high acidity, lots of caramel but also some dark and roasted aromas that keep it interesting. The finish of caramel with a little coffee is of medium length. Pleasant.
2001
Malmsey Harvest, Blandy
This harvest wine is of bright iodine color and has a fudgy nose. The palate is sweet and nutty, then changes to a more fruity middle and ends with a medium long toffee finish. This Malmsey spent 6 ½ years in cask and is quite complex.
1998
Verdelho Colheita, Cossart Gordon
The color is a very bright iodine, the nose is all nuts. In the mouth the wine is quite sweet for a Verdelho, also lots of fruit and acidity, nicely balanced with the sweetness, and then a long bitter finish. Interesting!
1997
Bual Colheita, Cossart Gordon
This colheitas wine shows a bright straw color and a fruity nose with some toffee as well. On the palate there is lots of toffee, leading to an almost creamy feel, but there is powerful acidity as well. It all ends in an impressive all toffee finish.
1996
Malmsey Colheita, Cossart Gordon
This is the darkest of the displayed colheitas, showing a dark cola brown. The nose has a strong whiff of VA, even though on the technical sheet they will tell you that it is only 0,66%. The nose also has honey with some pleasant roasted aromas as well. In the mouth this wine is rather sweet, even for a Malmsey, but this is well balanced with a complex palate of honey and caramel and lots of acidity. The finish is very long and ends with rich and beautiful caramel.
1991
Sercial Colheita, Cossart Gordon
This the lightest of the MWC wines at the Berlin tasting, with a very bright iodine color. The nose shows lots of nutty flavours and bees wax as well. The wine has a very dry entry, then softens a little and shows nuts and almonds. The acidity is high but not to much so and carries the wine on to an interesting acidic finish of medium length, that leaves the mouth refreshed.

Vinhos Barbeito Lda.
20YO Malvasia Lote 6072, Barbeito
This rarity shows a honey color and even more honey in the nose, together with lots of fruit. On the palate this wine is high on acidity, very fruity, complex with multiple layers of honey and grapes, with a long acidic finish. Though not easy to drink, this wine is very complex and interesting.
2000
Malvasia Colheita Single Cask 44a, Barbeito
Because of the long hot summer in 2007 and the storage in a hot place (“a” to “c” indicate different places of storage) this wine underwent rapid concentration that lead to the early bottling of 1.026 bottles from cask 44. The wine has a bright straw color, the nose shows almost no oxidation but lots of fresh and fruity aromas, almost like grape juice. In the mouth this wine lives up to the nose, starting with grapey sweetness, then an almost Moscatel-like flavour, lots of acidity, still no oxidation, no roasted or dark aromas at all, but nevertheless very complex and impressive, ending with a long grapey finish. This wine is something of a rarity and certainly not a typical Madeira, but very pleasant!
1997
Medium Dry Single Harvest, Barbeito
This TNM wine has a bright straw color with tawny edges. The nose is very grapey and the palate is fresh, almost crisp and very acidic, but balanced with enough fruit and sweetness to make it very pleasant. The acidic finish leaves the mouth refreshed.

Vinhos Justino Henriques Filhos Lda.
1996
Colheita, Justinos
I had hoped for another sip of the Terrantez Old Reserve, but this wine was just as amazing, though something completely different. The wine has a medium dark iodine color and a very rich, sweet and nutty nose, with toffee too and figs. The palate has medium sweetness and is perfectly balanced with medium acidity, toffee, almonds, nuts, then also darker aromas. The vinous finish is very long and the wine in general is very enjoyable to drink, combines complexity and harmony! This reminds me a lot of the Broadbent 1996 Colheita and might just be the same wine.





01/23/09--07:52: Benjamin Franklin and the three dead flies in Madeira (chan 1568815)

In 1773 Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, wrote to Barbeu Dubourg, his translator, on the general subject of causes of death. He included some experiments for recalling to life those who had apparently been killed by lightning and he also told the story about the three flies in Madeira wine. He wrote:

” I have seen an instance of common flies preserved in a manner somewhat similar. They had been drowned in Madeira wine, apparently about the time when it was bottled in Virginia, to be sent to London. At the opening of one of these bottles, at the house of a friend where I then was, three drowned flies fell into the first glass that was filled. Having heard it remarked that drowned flies were capable of being revived by the rays of the sun, I proposed making the experiment upon these; they were therefore exposed to the sun upon a sieve, which had been employed to strain them out of the wine. In less than three hours, two of them began by degrees to recover to life. They commenced by some convulsive motions of the thighs, and at length raised themselves upon their legs, wiped their eyes with their fore feet, beat and brushed their wings with their hind feet and soon after began to fly, finding themselves in Old England, without knowing how they came thither. The third continued lifeless till sunset, when, losing all hopes of him, he was thrown away.”

This story is certainly wrong from a scientific point of view. No fly could have survived being drowned in Madeira wine for months or years and then buzz off to a second life in “Old England”. My guess would be, that the bottle had been opened a couple of hours before , maybe even decanted and put back into the rinsed bottle, giving any fly a good chance to be lured into the bottle by the lovely aromas of Madeira wine. Nevertheless I like the story because it shows, among other things, two interesting facts:

First: Man was, is and always will be fascinated by the thought of bringing the dead back to life. To be able to pull someone out of Death’s tightly closed hands is a deed unmatched. Even with resuscitation becoming somewhat “normal” business in modern medicine, the excitement, the thrill and the relief will still be felt by those working together to succeed in “recalling to life” a human being.

Second: So highly was Madeira wine regarded back then, that the reputation of Madeira wine to have special, almost mystical, qualities seems to have been common thought in 1773. Today it is common knowledge that the “medicine of wine” can indeed prolong your life. May be this is just another example of something being common knowledge, before science could prove it 200+ years later? Anyway, it’s one more good reason to drink Madeira wine - not that anyone should need one more good reason...




04/01/09--08:16: News and TNs from ProWein 2009 (chan 1568815)

At the end of March the ProWein 2009, one of the largest wine fairs in the world, took place in windy Düsseldorf. About 3000 producers from all over the world presented wines and other alcoholic drinks to the public. Even though the impact of the international economic crisis was well visible, the event was very much complete in terms of different countries and wine regions presented at the fair. This year I focused on Rieslings from the Palatinate and Champagne, but of course my main interest was Madeira wine.

The Madeira Wine Institute IVBAM had organized a common booth for the Madeira wine producers. The companies of Henriques & Henriques, represented by CEO Humberto Jardim, the Madeira Wine Company, represented by commercial manager Ricardo Tavares and Vinhos Justino Henriques, represented by commercial manager Julio Fernandez showed their range of blends, as well as Colheita wines and Vintage Madeiras. Unfortunately Vinhos Barbeitos had to cancel their planned appearance at the ProWein. Besides a lot of sampling from the wines shown at the Madeira booth, there was a lot of interesting news from Madeira island and some talk about how the struggling economy affects the Madeira wine business. An interesting tasting seminar had been organized too, hosted by sommeliere Yvonne Heistermann. A big THANK YOU goes to all the people from the producers and the IVBAM who were very helpful, generously poured samples and provided lots of information.

Here are some news and tasting notes from the three companies present at the Düsseldorf ProWein 2009. In general the overall quality of Madeira wine is becoming better year after year, especially the quality of the TNM wines. I am looking forward to next year’s ProWein and many new Madeira wines in 2010!

Henriques & Henriques:
I talked to Humberto Jardim about future prices for vintage Madeira wines. Because of the enormous costs involved in the production of vintage Madeira, there will be no drop in prices, despite the world wide crisis of the economy. New releases of vintage Madeiras are currently not in the pipeline. The company wants to focus on existing products and rather wait and react to the market as things develop. H&H had a very good Colheita wine for tasting as well as the complete range of blended wines, which are always worth tasting..
Henriques & Henriques 1998 Colheita
Like the other producers too, H&H now mark the Colheita wines as „Single Harvest“ to make marketing easier on the international markets. This Colheita is made from Tinta Negra Mole (TNM) and has a residual sugar of 120 gr/l, 19% alcohol and about 4,5 gr/l of total acidity. The wine has a dark amber color, a nose stuffed with caramel, roasted aromas and lots of toffee. The wine is remarkably sweet, rather complex, lots of caramel in the mouth too, some darker roasted aromas as well, then a wonderful toffee finish of medium length. Again this wine shows the level of quality the wines from TNM can achieve if the producers put enough effort into it.

Madeira Wine Company:
There is interesting news from the MWC: In the near future the MWC is going to produce 5YO blends from the TNM grape to relief some pressure from the white grape varieties in order to free capacities for Colheitas and vintage Madeiras. May be the 5YO TNM blends are going to replace the 5YO blends from the classic varieties completely, this is not yet decided and will depend on the development of the market. There was a dry and a rich 5YO TNM blend for tasting at the ProWein, both were quite good, another proof for the skills of the winemaker Francisco Albuquerque, “winemaker of the year” third time in a row. Also a Blandy Terrantez Colheita is going to be released in the near future. In general the MWC will focus even more on the main brand of Blandy’s. Miles is only available on the island; Leacock is only being kept for Scandinavia, where the brand is well established. Finally the MWC introduced new corks printed with the vintage year of the wine bottled, as well as the year of bottling.
Blandy’s 5YO Dry Blend (TNM)
This is the new TNM blend for the near future, showing a nice orange-brown color. The nose shows nutty flavors, grapey fruit and raisins. On the palate the wine is quite fruity, not to dry, pleasant to drink, with enough acidity to keep it interesting. Certainly less nutty flavors compared with the 5YO Sercial, but nevertheless a well done wine for everyday drinking.
Blandy’s 5YO Rich Blend (TNM)
The sweet variety of the 5YO TNM blend shows a warm cola brown and a big and very rich nose of figs and raisins –wow!- then in the mouth considerable sweetness, but no to sticky, raisins and lots of toffee, lots of acidity, much more than in the 5YO Malmsey, very well integrated, long finish of fruit and caramel. This is a very good blend, and is even better than the 5YO Malmsey IMHO.
Blandy’s 1992 Malmsey Colheita
This wine has only been bottled in January 2009 and shows a medium dark mahogany. The nose is subdued, mainly toffee. Then in the mouth the wine switches to a higher gear, with a spectacular acidic attack at first, then caramel and butter, toffee, leading to an almost creamy impression, before ending with a slightly bitter caramel finish. After 17 years in the cask this wine is impressing, powerful and complex.
Blandy’s 1991 Boal Colheita
This Colheita spent 18 years in cask, you might call it an almost-vintage Madeira. In fact a good Colheita Madeira could spend a couple more years in cask and return to the market as a vintage Madeira later, if enough wine has remained in cask to warrant the effort. This wine now shows a nice orange-brown color and a sweet toffee nose. On the palate there is pleasant sweetness with enough acidity as a counterpart, also some roasted, darker aromas, quite complex, lots of toffee, and a dark toffee finish. Well done and rather concentrated, thanks to the 18 years in cask.
Blandy’s 1990 Malmsey Colheita
And another interesting Colheita with a shiny iodine brown and a fruity raisin nose with lots of toffee added. On the palate the first impression is that of a Chinese sweet and sour sauce, because of the concentration, but the balance of sweetness and acidity is well done, a little sharp in the beginning, probably not decanted long enough, only little caramell and toffee, but lots of fruit, lemon, orange, a little Moscatel, also a long fruity finish with a touch of bitterness at the end, reminding me of candied orange peel. Very interesting and well done, for me the best Colheita of the 2009 ProWein, a perfect example of the modern fruity Madeira style.
Blandy’s 1977 Boal
After 30 years in cask, this Boal has been bottled in 2007. Even though quite young, the color is a rich and warm iodine brown. In the nose there is a little amount of volatile acidity, then figs and honey, a little caramel. On the palate the sweetness is forthcoming with just the right amount of sugar (80 gr/l), lots of acidity, a little sharp at the beginning, but the bottle had been opened just an hour ago, then lots and lots of sweet toffee, with still enough acidity in the background, and a long creamy toffee finish. This is a very good Madeira, a typical Boal, impressive already, it will benefit from more time in cask.
Blandy’s 1966 Sercial
Bottled in 2004 the wine has been in cask for 38 years. The color is a dark tawny, the nose is all nuts at first, then a little fruity as well. The first impression on the palate is a real acid punch, but then the acidity becomes a kaleidoscope of fruity aromas, the wine changes to a softer layer of nuts and licorice –is this really a Sercial?- even a little toffee and a long almond finish, still carried through by the acidity. A well done combination of the two sometimes rather different styles of Sercial: acidity and nuts. Very interesting, even for those who usually do not really like Sercial.

Vinhos Justino Henriques:
There is news from VJH too: I saw a new brand for the European market called „Colombo“. According to VJH the brand had existed before (besides Justino’s and East India) but had not yet been shown at the ProWein.
Justino’s 1998 Colheita
This is the successor to my favorite Colheita of 1996. Unfortunately it can not fully compete with the predecessor. Nevertheless the wine is well done, shows a shiny iodine brown, a nice caramel nose and on the palate a solid balance of sweetness and acidity with fruit, caramel and a sweet toffee-finish.
Justino’s 1996 Colheita
This is the first really convincing wine for me, made from TNM. It has a medium dark iodine color and a very rich, sweet and nutty nose, with toffee too and figs. The palate has medium sweetness and is perfectly balanced with medium acidity, toffee, a little vanilla, almonds, nuts, then also darker aromas, coffee. The vinous finish is very long and the wine in general is very enjoyable to drink, combines complexity and harmony!





07/26/09--03:37: FTLOP-MWG Seattle Madeira Tasting 2009 (chan 1568815)

What a complicated name for such an enjoyable thing like this tasting of six old Madeira wines. Ever since Roy’s exceptional tasting in 2007, I had wanted to re-taste with Roy, but only when I visited the U.S. in July 2009, was there a chance to meet Roy again. Summer is not the typical time of year to seriously taste a lot of high-alcohol heavy wines, but for real Madeira wine fanatics, there is open season all year round. Roy had invited his friends Chuck and Justin to the event. I knew both guys from the Seattle tasting in 2007 and really looked forward to that evening. We had a perfect time tasting six old Madeiras and this tasting was crowned by a delicious dinner, some other serious wines (a 1976 Schloss Eltz Eltviller Sonnenberg Auslese Riesling among them) and a lot of interesting conversation. Thank you guys for such a wonderful experience, I would bring a great bottle of Madeira for a tasting with you anytime!

Tasting notes of the wines, in order of the tasting:

1830 Justino Henriques Sercial Solera
Since this bottle had only been 2/3rds full, I had been able to buy it at a very competitive price. I expected next to nothing from this particularly wine. Interestingly, the label said "Solera of the Vintage", but I still think it was a Solera wine. The wine had been bottled by Vinhos Justinos Henriques, but originally came from the estates of Joao Alfredo Faria. The previous owner of the bottle had bought it about 50-60 years ago and it was found again when he cleaned out his cellar. The bottle was #178 of a total number of only 700 bottles. The wine had a muddy brown appearance, very cloudy, probably stirred up sediment from the transport. The sweet and spicy toffee nose had considerable VA and walnuts. The palate was quite sweet for a Sercial, in fact the wine seemd a little on the soft side, especially for a Sercial. There were nutty flavors, some roasted, slightly bitter aromas, but the wine was not very complex and had a bitter and acidic finish of medium length. Certainly not in the top ranks, but not a bad value for the bargain price. 92 points in 7/2009.

1905 D’Oliveira Verdelho
This wine was also quite cloudy with a bright iodine brown, brighter than I had expected and showed a weird nose with an initial blast of burned sulphur, also lots of VA and stewed fruits. On the palate there was little sweetness, lots of acidity, citric lemon flavors, also some nuttiness, but the wine was not well integrated, the acidity seemed hot and spirity, even raw, when ending with a bitter, roasted finish. I have had this wine a couple of times before and this one usually is a very fine and nutty example of Verdelho. Something was certainly wrong with this bottle, so no points here.

1839 Terrantez (producer unknown)
I had bought this wine at an auction a couple of years ago, together with a second bottle with no label, but of similar appearance. Supposedly both bottles contained the same wine (and looking back, I think it was the same wine), so I had opened the bottle without a label in 2006, finding it to be a perfect example of a highly acidic Terrantez. Knowing that Roy likes Terrantez and acidity I just had to bring the second bottle to this tasting. It had only a small handwritten paper label (fastened with scotch tape…) with “Terrantez (Madeira)” on it. It also featured some more writing after the “(Madeira)” that looked like “Pyreivan”, but I could not really convince myself to think of “Pereira” as in Pereira D’Oilveira. So the exact producer of this wonderful wine remains unknown. It featured a dark brown coffee color, also a little cloudy. The nose was lively and multi-layered with coffee, singed caramel and a little VA that softened nicely. In the mouth there was a perfect mixture of some sweetness with very high acidity, rich and decadent, but very precise, fudgy, with a hint of cinnamon, ending with a very long finish of brown sugar and coffee, and still that pinching acidity was shining through. Wow, what an amazing wine. To me there is no doubt that Madeira wine is at its best when produced from the difficult but rewarding Terrantez grape. Unfortunately there is no way to tell where this wine came from. 98 points in 7/2009.



Three of the wines tasted.

1900 Manoel de Sousa Boal
Since little is known about this producer, I had bought two bottles of this wine at auction for a relatively low price. The cork seemed to be very short, just 13mm in length, so I had recorked the wine before the flight to the U.S., destroying a beautiful MSH (Manoel de Sousa Herdeiros) wax seal. The wine showed a rather dark cola color, the darkest of all wines, with an orange brown rim. The spicy nose was very impressive with prunes, stewed fruits, a little VA to make it even more complex. In the mouth the wine was quite sweet, but the sweetness was overpowered by a nearly insane acidity. The wine was very concentrated with caramel, toffee, quite complex and harmonious, with a long and slightly bitter but highly acidic finish. The acidity was so high, it almost seemed to be not fully integrated. A wine for acid freaks, powerful and concentrated, I liked it a lot. 96 points in 7/2009.

1903 D’Oliveira Boal
Chuck had opened this wine many months before the tasting, so we were anxious to see how well it had kept. Showing a brilliant dark brown color, this Boal was not only in perfect shape, but also showed how beneficial a long decanting time can be. The nose was a perfect Boal nose with fudgy caramel, slightly nutty and still a little VA. The palate was equally impressive with lots of creamy caramel, backed by still crisp acidity, walnuts, and a long toffee finish, all very rounded and harmonious. A wonderful and classic Boal, at its best after being opened half a year ago! 97 points in 7/2009.

1827 Quinta do Serrado Boal
This is one of my all time favorites and I was very happy to see, that Chuck had brought this wine to the tasting. This Boal showed a brilliant dark iodine brown with a slightly red center. The nose was a little subdued, with hints of VA, caramel and toffee. The palate shifted to a higher gear, with elegant sweetness in perfect balance with powerful acidity. This wonderful Boal displayed brown sugar, multiple layers of nutty caramel, a hint of vanilla, and a long and acidic caramel finish with a little roasted coffee in the end. Hmmm, the taste kept sitting in the far corners of the mouth for a long time, a wonderful example of Boal, perfectly showing why this is considered a classic collectors Madeira. 97 points in 7/2009.





10/15/09--08:32: Hamburg IVBAM Madeira Tasting 2009 (chan 1568815)

At the 5th of October, the Portuguese chamber of foreign commerce AICEP and the Madeira Wine Institute IVBAM held their annual Madeira wine tasting event in sunny Hamburg, Germany. The tasting took place in the beautiful Grand Elysee Hotel. Interesting, that the IVBAM decided to go against the stream of the world wide depression and expand this event, compared to the tasting in Berlin last year (see the post about the Berlin tasting 2008 here). Thanks to many wonderful Madeira wines, an interesting masterclass and a perfect organization, the event was a great success. It certainly sparked the enthusiasm of the people present for Madeira wine.



Panoramic view of beautiful Hamburg, Germany.

This time five Madeira wine producers were present: H. M. Borges Lda, represented by Goncalo de Spinola, Henriques & Henriques Vinhos SA, represented by Humberto Jardim, the Madeira Wine Company SA, represented by Ricardo Tavares, Vinhos Barbeito Lda., represented by Americo Pereira from Diogos Wine Shop in Funchal and Vinhos Justino Henriques Filhos Lda., represented by Julio Fernandes. The IVBAM itself was represented by vice director Joao Nunes. As always, Matthias Meichsner represented the AICEP. Lots of information about Madeira wine was available, an advertising movie with wonderful views of Madeira island was shown and tasty hors d’oeuvres and delicious Bolo de Mel relieved any hunger. All the companies present had brought their range of blends as well as some rarities, free for tasting.



Madeira masterclass in Hamburg.

The Madeira masterclass certainly was the highlight of the event. It was hosted by Michael Pleitgen, head of the Berliner Weinakademie, associated with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust WSET. Ten most impressive Madeira wines were tasted. Michael Pleitgen also gave a half hour presentation about the special features of Madeira wine that fascinated even the seasoned Madeira wine veterans.

A great thank you goes to Joao Nunes, IVBAM and Matthias Meichsner, AICEP for the invitation to this perfect event, as well as to the producers for generously sharing their Madeira wines. If this event is any hint at how the future of Madeira wine is going to be then there is no need for worries! The tasting notes of fourteen wines that impressed me most are posted below. You might notice that the emphasis was on sweet and semi-sweet wines, but to me this was only fitting for the start of the cold season.



The ten wonderful wines of the Madeira masterclass.

H. M. Borges
1998 Malvasia Colheita
This Colheita shows a dark mahogany color. The nose is dominated by roasted dark hazelnut-aromas together with a fair amount of volatile acidity and orange. The taste is rather sweet, but well balanced with acidity, together with lots of caramel and even a hint of vanilla, then nuts again and a long caramel finish. A good example of a classic Malvasia wine. 91 points 10/2009.

1995 Boal Colheita
A bright but cold iodine brown is the interesting color of this wine. Heavy and singed caramel together with a small amount of volatile acidity please the nose. In the mouth the first sip leaves a roasted, almost smoked impression, lots of toffee here and caramel as well, but also a good measure of fruity acidity. A clean caramel finish of medium length leaves the mouth waiting for the next sip. A very nice old-style Madeira. 92 points 10/2009.

1977 Sercial Vintage
This rather young vintage Madeira displays a bright iodine brown, almost tawny color. The nose is fresh and nutty, with a slight hint of oak and a splash of volatile acidity adding to the overall impression of lightness. On the palate this Sercial is rather sweet, so this is a pleasant surprise for all those who usually do not like Sercial. A nutty foundation with powerful acidity carries caramel, a little toffee and lots of walnuts to the long finish. An impressive wine and a Sercial that is pleasant to drink without having to wait a couple of decades. 93 points 10/2009.

Henriques & Henriques
2000 Bual Single Harvest
This single harvest wine shows its young age by the bright mahogany color with a greenish rim. In the multilayered nose with a little volatile acidity dried fruits and caramel dominate, but there is also a hint of vanilla. On the palate the wine is pleasantly sweet, but also rounded and harmonious with lots of caramel and soft acidity. In the background there is subdued fruit that carries on to the creamy caramel and toffee finish. This wine might not have a lot of personality but it is just easy to drink and a real fun wine. A nice drink for the cold season too. 92 points 10/2009.

1998 Rich Single Harvest
This wine is made from Tinta Negra Mole and shows a bright iodine brown color. The nose is multilayered with caramel, toffee, walnut, raisins and a hint of coffee beans. In the mouth there is a fierce attack of acidity that carries on as a backbone, but also yummy aromas of citrus fruits that compete with a broad layer of caramel. The rich sweetness adds to the pleasant impression of this wine, ending in a long and fruity finish. A well made TNM wine! 91 points 10/20009.

Madeira Wine Company
2001 Blandys Harvest Malmsey
A golden brown color with a slightly reddish rim, almost like a chestnut brown promises a rather heavy Malmsey. The nose is packed with caramel and different nutty aromas, a hint of roasted aromas as well. In the mouth there is considerable sweetness but also lots of acidity, so this wine is in good balance. There is lots of caramel, lots of walnut and a funky roastiness that carries on to the caramel finish, keeping the wine from being cloying. Very nice and pleasant to drink, a great wine for the cold season and already quite complex despite its young age. 92 points 19/2009.

1990 Blandys Colheita Malmsey
This colheita shows a dark iodine brown with a slightly greenish rim. The nose is rather subdued, with a hint of volatile acidity and some caramel. But once on the palate, the wine shifts to a higher gear with a very good balance between heavy sweetness and powerful acidity, bitter-sweet fruits to go with it, almost a hint of grapefruit there, then a caramel finish of medium length. An impressive wine that would benefit in complexity from a couple more years in cask and might even return as a young vintage Madeira. 91 points 10/2009.

1976 Blandys Terrantez Vintage
This Terrantez vintage Madeira was the best wine of the tasting for me. Later one of my Madeira wine comrades told me, that this wine is one of his favorites and that he has been buying it for years. I had never had this wine before, but after tasting it , I can easily see why. The color is a dark mahogany. In the nose there is a kaleidoscope of aromas, lots of volatile acidity, a little musk, dark and roasted aromas, then a touch of something wild, funky, leathery, waxy, hard to describe, but pleasant and very well fitting into the overall impression, and finally a lot of dried fruits. So much fun before even the first sip, wow. And then with the first sip the wine keeps its promise: nutty sweetness, powerful acidity, a layer of bitter walnut, lots of caramel, raisins, molasses, that wild, funky, leathery thing in the background again and then a long bitter walnut finish. What a great wine, hard to believe it only had 21 years in cask. I just hope they will give it more time, since this is going to become a classic Terrantez vintage Madeira. 94 points 10/2009.

Vinhos Barbeitos
VB Reserve
Lote 2 Cask 12d und 46a
This rarity displays a bright iodine brown color and a fruity nose with caramel to go with it. The palate is also very fruity, funky acid there as well, leading to a clean and fresh impression, then there is some caramel and medium sweetness in the finish. A nice wine that will do well as an aperitif as well as an after dinner drink. 92 points 10/2009.

Malvasia 20 Years Old
This rare 20 YO Blend shows a tawny color with straw colored rim. The nose is focused on nutty and fruity aromas. In the mouth the wine is rather sweet, but complex, with lots of acidity, a little overpowering, lots of fruit and a long bitter walnut finish. Other participants liked this wine a lot more then I did. 89 points 10/2009.

2001 Boal Colheita
Interesting straw color with a hint of yellow here. The nose displays candied orange and grapey fruit, reminding me of a Moscatel de Setubal. The palate is also on the light side with lots of sweetness but rather little acidity, a hint of fruit, then toffee and caramel. For an acid freak like me the wine was a little cloying and one-dimensional. The all-caramel finish was rather short. 89 points 10/2009.

1981 Verdelho Vintage
A well-known Verdelho to me, this 1981 wine, that spent 24 years in cask until 2005. The color is a medium bright tawny with a hint of red. The nose has dried fruits, a hint of cinnamon, some raisins, more complex then I remembered. The palate is quite powerful with lots of fierce acidity, only little sweetness in the background, leading to an almost dry overall impression, nice citric fruit here with only little caramel, but complex and nutty. The powerful acidity carries through to the walnut finish. A good and very powerful wine! 93 points 10/2009.

Vinhos Justino Henriques
1995 Colheita
The predecessor of my favorite TNM-colheita shows a golden brown and an unusual but pleasant nose with fruity caramel and an initial blast of peppermint. The palate is sweet and balanced with pleasant acidity, nice fruit in the background, but the focus is on caramel, walnut and almonds, with a slightly bitter nutty finish. A well made TNM wine. 91 points 10/2009.

1996 Colheita
This TNM colheita has been a favorite of mine for a long time and it impressed me again. With its dark iodine brown color and its rich nose of figs, nuts and coffee this colheita is complex and fun to drink. In the mouth it is quite sweet, perfectly balanced with just the right amount of acidity, then toffee, almonds, walnuts, also some darker more roasted aromas as well. This time the wine is even more rounded and mellow, may be because of the longer storage time in cask. The grapey finish is long. A very pleasant drink and a good combination of complexity and harmony. 92 points 10/2009.





03/23/10--07:12: News and TNs from ProWein 2010 (chan 1568815)

At the last weekend the ProWein 2010, one of the largest wine fairs in the world, again took place in Düsseldorf. About 3500 producers from all over the world presented wines and other alcoholic drinks to the public. As usual I focused on Rieslings from the Palatinate and Champagne, but of course my main interest was Madeira wine. To bad the Sherry organization had decided against the usual Sherry lounge, but on the other hand this meant more time for Madeira.

The Madeira Wine Institute IVBAM had organized a common booth together with four Madeira wine producers: H. M. Borges Lda, represented by Goncalo de Spinola, Henriques & Henriques Vinhos SA, represented by Humberto Jardim, the Madeira Wine Company SA, represented by Ricardo Tavares and Vinhos Justino Henriques Filhos Lda., represented by Julio Fernandes. The IVBAM itself was also there with its friendly staff and as always, Matthias Meichsner represented the Portuguese chamber of foreign commerce AICEP. The main topic besides the wines themselves was the flooding of the island, just a few weeks ago. None of the producers was severely hit by the floods and things were very much back to normal they reported. It looks like Funchal will be perfectly ready for the Flower Festival in April. Lots of information about Madeira wine was available and an interesting wine-food-paring event was hosted by Michael Pleitgen, head of the Berliner Weinakademie, associated with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust WSET. All the companies present had brought their range of blends as well as some rarities, free for tasting.

A great thank you goes to the IVBAM and Matthias Meichsner, AICEP as well as to the producers for generously sharing their Madeira wines. The tasting notes of some wines that impressed me most as well as some additional information are posted below.

Madeira Wine Company
I asked Ricardo Tavares about the Harvest-Colheita-Vintage legislation and he told me that indeed a wine bottled as a Colheita could indeed become –after further cask ageing- a vintage Madeira. In fact the MWC has wines in cask that already have been bottled as a Colheita wine, but look promising enough to keep a part of the vintage for further ageing. Should the winemaker later decide that the wine did not quite reach vintage Madeira qualities, it could still be used to back up the blends.
2001 Harvest Malmsey
This Harvest wine shows a iodine brown color with a lovely and rich walnut nose, some raisins and an atypical, almost floral background (or was it the detergent?). On the palate the wine is rich with sweet walnuts and some roasted aromas like coffee and molasses, but it is all carried by a solid fruity backbone, ending in long caramel and walnut finish. 92 points in 3/2010.
2000 Colheita Verdelho
A bright iodine brown color and a nutty nose with a splash of VA lead the way to a moderately sweet but very nutty and elegant palate with an almost lean impression, well defined with walnuts, little toffee and almonds, ending in a nutty finish of medium length. 90 points in 3/2010.
15YO Malmsey
This wine shows a brilliant medium dark iodine color and a rather rich nose of nuts, fudge and some darker aromas like ashes and burnt sugar as well. In the mouth the wine is very sweet, but with solid acidity as a counterweight, lots of caramel here but again the roasted aromas that also showed up in the nose. Burnt sugar, a hint of cinnamon and coffee are coming through and keep the sweet wine interesting and very complex before ending on a long caramel finish with just a hint of roastiness at the very end. 93 points in 3/2010.

Henriques & Henriques
The company was not affected at all by the flooding and business is running well as usual. From some other source I have heard that the remaining bottles of the “heavenly quartet” are decreasing fast. So every Madeira wine fanatic that has never had a chance to taste these four wines be warned that time is running out on you.
15YO Bual
This 15YO blend displays a cold medium dark brown, almost cola-like. The nose is very interesting with a kaleidoscope of walnuts, caramel and toffee, rich and decadent. On the palate there is caramel sweetness to begin with, also lots of toffee and then the acidity really jumps into your face and opens a second stage of raisins, figs and other dried fruits. A base layer of figs goes through to the long caramel end. 92 points in 3/2010.

Vinhos Justino Henriques
Due to its location up hill in Cancela the company was also not affected by the flooding. After being very successful with the Colheitas of 1995, 1996 (one of my favourite Colheitas ever!) and 1998, they finally closed the gap by presenting the 1997 Colheita.
1997 Fine Rich Colheita
So after the brilliant 1996 Colheita I was looking forward to this 1997 wine. This Colheita shows a reddish iodine brown with, very interesting and brilliant color. The subdued nose is dark and roasted, some raisins there as well but the overall impression is one of singed and burnt aromas. Then to my surprise the palate is very fruity, rich sweetness in good balance to high acidity, rather little caramel and more on the fruity and grapey side of aromas, with a long fruity and highly acidic finish. Different then the 1996 Colheita but definitely a very good wine too. 92 points in 3/2010.

H. M. Borges
Things are going very well for H. M. Borges, Goncalo de Spinola told me, since they decided to enter the German market only last year. Also the other European markets are on a slow but steady rise. The economic crisis does not seem to have a severe effect on Madeira exports. H. M. Borges is thinking about new facilities, depending on how the economy will unfold in 2010. In general there seems to be a change of attitude at Borges, shifting to a more expansive and competitive strategy. Also there are plans to release a second bottling of the 40+ years Malmsey blend, which could be a 60+ years blend if only regulations weren’t standing in the way. The first bottling was only 1000 bottles and these were gone in a hurry.
Rainwater
This rainwater is intended for the everyday-madeira-market and is made from Tinta Negra Mole. It should be served very cold and I am sure that the level of sweetness will then be semi-dry. At the rather high temperature of ProWein conditions the wine is semi-sweet, soft and rounded, mellow, indeed with a rain”watery” feeling but in a very positive way. This light brown wine with its subdued nutty nose is certainly the sweetest rainwater I have ever had, but it is well done and a great value. 87 points in 3/2010.
1998 Single Harvest Malmsey
After 8 years in cask, this Single Harvest Malmsey shows a medium dark mahogany color with a fruity toffee nose. In the mouth this wine is all harmony, soft and rounded, very much on the toffee and caramel side with lots of sweetness, some walnuts and almonds and a long and sweet caramel finish. Maybe this wine is old fashioned in its caramel and toffee design but very well done. 93 points in 3/2010.
1977 Boal Vintage
Opened just minutes ago this wine shows a muddy iodine brown color. The nose has lots of VA, dates and figs, then a second layer of nuts and even fruity grapes in the background, impressive and multidimensional. In the mouth the wine is medium sweet, nutty and fudgy then it shifts to a more roasted side but still with fudgy nuts in the foreground, ending with a slightly roasted finish with medium length. 92 points in 3/2010.

The following video is a short feature about the Prowein 2010 with focus on Rieslings from the Palatinate, Champagne and Madeira wine of course. It is my first video ever, so please be lenient… And of course I am not a native speaker, but nevertheless I thought that 98% of the earth’s population would still be better off with my bad English instead of my perfect German :-)







08/06/10--08:27: Edward Vernon Harcourt: A sketch of Madeira 1851 (chan 1568815)

The following text has been taken from Edward Vernon Harcourt’s “A sketch of Madeira”, published in 1851. The chapter V, titled “On the agriculture of Madeira” gives a precise overview of all the island’s cultivated plants, including vines. Harcourt seems to be well informed with the only exception that the Terrantez grape is not mentioned in his book. I have no explanation for this, especially since the Terrantez grape was commonly regarded one of the best grapes for making Madeira wine even though it was difficult to cultivate. It is a strange coincidence that in the same year Harcourt published his “A sketch of Madeira”, Oidium infected the vines in 1851. Before the wine industry had recovered, the second plague Phylloxera hit the island in 1872. As we know today, the wine industry took decades, better centuries, to fully recover.

A sketch of Madeira
By Edward Vernon Harcourt, published 1851
Part of chapter V
On the agriculture of Madeira
Pages 94 to 99

Cultivation of the vine
The staple of the agriculture of Madeira, and the principal object which occupies is population, is he wine. Vines were formerly planted at a depth of only twenty inches, and sometimes, though never generally, by means of a plough. The instrument was dragged over and over the same ground, till the required depth was attained. Such a practice has long since ceased; indeed, there are very few places in the island, from its rocky nature, where a plough could penetrate twenty inches into the soil. The vine in the south is now always planted in trenches, varying from four to six feet in depth. The depth of the trench is regulated by the nature of the soil. The object in cutting so deep is to allow the roots of the vine to penetrate sufficiently far through the fresh turned earth, to prevent their being dried by the effects of the sun, and a long-continued season of drought, when water for irrigation is scarce. Lumps of pedra molle, and other stones, are placed at the bottom of the trench to keep the earth loose, and prevent the roots of the vines from reaching the stiff soil below. The trenches are filled up slantingly one-third of their depth, the bacello, or cutting, never being planted lower than two-thirds of the depth opened. The new roots shoot mainly from the upper part of the bacello, and at no great distance from the surface of the ground: the part below the roots decays and rots off. When rooted vines are planted they are not put in so deep, although the ground is trenched in the same manner as for bacellos.

Different soils
The names given to the different kinds of soils in which the vine is planted are saibro (decomposed red tufa), cascalho (stony soil), pedra molle (an arenaceous soil, of decomposed yellow tufa), and massapes (clay resulting from the decomposition of dark tufa). The vine lasts the longest in saibro and cascalho. In pedra molle and massapes it produces at first more freely, but the wine is weaker in body, and the plant is soon worn out. The best soil, both for wine and the endurance of the vine, is saibro with a mixture of stones, the plant being always partial to stony or rocky ground.

Best wine districts
The fines wines of Madeira are produced in the parishes of Camara de Lobos, Sao Martinho, and Sao Pedro; in the lower parts of Santo Antonio, the Estreito de Camara de Lobos, Campanario, Sao Roque, and Sao Concalo. The upper parts of the last five parishes produce only second and third-rate wines. The finest Malmsey and Sercial are from the Faja dos Padres, at the foot of Cabo Girao, and from the Paul and Jardim do Mar.
The best vine to graft on is the stock of Malmsey. The best vine to pant in the south is the Verdelho. It is obtained either in the north or from Curral das Freiras.
The length of time that a vineyard will last depends as much on the cultivator as on the quality of his soil. Where the farmer is careless, or intent only on his bemfeitorias, the vines are often huddled into the ground close together, when they often grow up weak and sickly, yield comparatively but little fruit, and die off in eight or ten years, unless forced to exist a few years longer by parsimonious doses of manure. A prudent cultivator will plant his vines ten or twelve palmos [a palmo is about 8 to 9 English inches, depending on the area of the island] apart, when in the same ground, with proper treatment, the plants will yield better, and last from fifty to a hundred years.
The vines, excepting in the north of the island, where they luxuriate wild on the branches of the chestnut trees, are trained on a sort of trellis-work made of the Anundo donax, to which they are bound by split shoots of willow. This framework, when the leaves are off, has the appearance, as you look down upon it from the hills, of nets spread on the ground. One or more walks intersect each vineyard. Along these walks, wooden pillars of about seven feet high are erected at regular distances, to support frames which slope down from them on each side to within two feet of the ground. At this elevation the reeds extend over the whole vineyard. There is barely room for men to creep under these lattice-works either for the purpose of weeding, pruning, or gathering the grapes.
An alqueire (15,625 square palmos) of ground, being soil of the best description, and well cultivated, will produce in an average year from twelve to fifteen barrels of wine, of which twelve go to the pipe. If the soil is of medium quality. And well cultivated, it will produce from eight to ten barrels. Ground of either the best or medium quality in bad hands will not procure more than one or two barrels. In bad land, of course, no vines are planted.
The exportation of wine from Madeira and Porto Santo during the last three years has averaged 6738 pipes, whereas the amount grown has averaged 15,887 pipes. This leaves the large amount of 9149 pies annually consumed in the island, or converted to brandy. The largest amount is drunk by boatmen and burroqueros, who spend about one third of their means in a liquor, which comes under the denomination of low wine. Of the wine exported from the island one-third may be considered of the finest quality, one-third of a medium quality, and one-third as low wine. The first cost of the wine at the press (before fermentation) has this year been from £2 10s to £12 10s per pipe.

Kinds of wines
The names of the different kinds of wine produced in Madeira are – Malvasia, Sercial, Tinta, Boal, Verdelho, Bastardo, Negrinho, and Maroto, all made from grapes bearing those names. The three last are seldom seen, and the Negrinho and Maroto are a bad species of grapes, always used in the manufacture of vinho verde, or refuse wine. The wine called Madeira is made principally from the Verdelho grape, with an admixture of Tinta and Boal: the first gives it body, the two latter flavour. The ordinary Bastardo is a black grape, which yields only a light-coloured wine; the Bastardo branco is rare. The Tinta, or, as it is sometimes called, Negra molle, gives a dark colour to new wines. When it is made into wine by itself, the husk is separated from the stalk and fermented with the juice of the grape, otherwise the Tinta wine would be wanting in the peculiarities of colour and flavour which distinguish it.

Manufacture of wine
To make fine wine it is essential that the grapes should be fully ripe. The ripeness is judged of by the softness of the bunches, which lose their rigidity when the sap ceases to enter them. All unripe grapes, and those of inferior sorts, must be carefully picked out and put aside for the vinho verde. When the wine press is full the grapes are trodden, and then pressed under the beam of the lagar (wine press). The must is carried away in goat-skins and transferred to casks, there to undergo fermentation. When the violence of the fermentation is over, that is to say, in ten or twelve days, it is approved practice to throw into each cask two or three pounds of powdered gypsum, stirring it up in the wines daily for the next ten days. The gypsum is said to take up the watery particles of the wine, and prevent its becoming ropy: the fermentation then gradually subsides, and at the end of six or eight weeks the lees are racked off, and a gallon or two of brandy added to each pipe.
Madeira wines are considerably advanced and matured by heat. It is a common thing to give these wines a passage to the East or West Indies, before they are landed in England.
The heat of a ship’s hold in India, or of a sugar-laden ship in Jamaica, sometimes exceeds 110° of Fahrenheit. By some, the wine is ripened at home in stoves; the abuse of which, by giving a false appearance of age to inferior wines, has at various times been prejudicial to the trade of the island.
The countrymen calculate that one-tenth of the produce of a vineyard is destroyed by flies, lizards, and rats.





09/24/10--10:33: Techno-Update for MWG (chan 1568815)

Since the server for the MadeiraWineGuide website is located in the U.S. I always had a hard time to put new contents on this website. All the hassle of transfering pictures and text from Europe to Seattle added to the sometimes rather slow groth in content of this website.

Now that the weather turns to rain again (at least here in Europe) and since that means more time for writing up items for the MWG, we decided to implement Windows Live Writer as a tool for changing the contents of the MWG pages.

So I hope this works out well and the changes will result in more and better information on Madeira wine for you.

With kind regards

Peter




09/26/10--01:18: Thank god its autumn. (chan 1568815)

Summer is finally over, autumn is here and it is Madeira drinking time again! In my opinion rather heavy wines like Madeira do not drink so well when it is hot. So even when the weather is turning to clouds, wind and rain, the really good thing is: now is the time for drinking Madeira wine (again).



So now is also the time to fill up your Madeira wine stocks if you haven’t done this already. I generally prefer the 10 year old or 5 year old blends for everyday drinking. Also Colheita wines are a very good value when it comes to special occasions. And some three year old wines are certainly worth giving them a try before using them for cooking only…



This is the first post using the newly installed Windows Live Writer technology with the Madeira Wine Guide website and I am really anxious to see how this is going to work out.

Enjoy your autumn time - cheers!

Peter




11/02/10--11:13: Hamburg IVBAM Madeira Tasting 2010 (chan 1568815)

Arriving at Hamburg the weather was rainy, cold and rather windy – perfect conditions for the tasting of Madeira wines. On October the 27^th, the IVBAM, represented by Joao Nunez and the Portuguese chamber of foreign commerce AICEP, represented by Matthias Meichsner, held their annual Madeira wine tasting in the north-German Hanseatic-League town. After the very successful tasting last year, this year was even a step up. Five producers had come to Hamburg to present their range of blended wines as well as some Colheitas, single harvest wines and Frasqueiras (=vintage Madeiras): H. M. Borges Lda, represented by Goncalo de Spinola, Henriques & Henriques Vinhos SA, represented by Humberto Jardim, the Madeira Wine Company SA, represented by Ricardo Tavares, Vinhos Barbeito Lda., represented by Marianna Pinto and Vinhos Justino Henriques Filhos Lda., represented by Julio Fernandes.

 



The afternoon started with a Madeira Master Class about Madeira blends. This event was hosted by Michael Pleitgen, head of the Berlin Weinakademie, associated with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust WSET. He gave an hour long presentation about the special features of Madeira wine that contained lots of information for even the seasoned Madeira wine veterans. First we learned some Madeira wine history, heard about John Hancock, the 1768 Madeira party and the sons of liberty. Then the focus shifted to geography, with information about soils, climate and the building of the levada irrigation system. After grape varieties, viticulture, the wine-production and the different styles of Madeira, we went on to taste four samples of 10 year old blends and the MWC’s Alvada 5 year old blend.

 



After the Madeira Master Class, the five producers offered their range of wines for free tasting, accompanied by a delicious variety of food, perfectly matched to the wines by the chefs of the Hamburg Raddison Blue hotel. Over 40 wines were to be tasted; tasting notes of 14 of them are listed below. The overall level of quality and the price-value-ratio were even higher than in 2009.

A great thank you goes to Joao Nunes, IVBAM and Matthias Meichsner, AICEP for the invitation to this perfect event, as well as to the producers for generously sharing their Madeira wines. Over the last years now these tastings have become a jour fixe in the autumn time for Madeira wine lovers in central Europe. It is fun to see that each time the IVBAM and AICEP somehow manage to even top the level of last year’s event. No doubt these events boost the popularity of Madeira wine amongst wine lovers and help restore its rightful place at the top of the fortified wines.

 



H. M. Borges

10 years old Sercial

This wine shows a bright iodine brown with a fresh and very appealing citrus nose with a little walnut and almond as well and some toffee in the background. The palate is just off-dry, soft and nutty, with a little toffee too and only little acidity, ending with a clean dry finish. 89 points 10/2010

1995 Boal Colheita

This Colheita features a bright but cold iodine brown color with a voluptuous caramel nose together with a small amount of volatile acidity. The palate offers an intense layer of toffee with a good measure of fruity acidity, some vanilla is also there. Last time I also noticed some dark and roasted aromas that I didn’t really find this time. A long sweet and acidic toffee finish ends this tasty Colheita. 92 points 10/2010

 



Henriques & Henriques

10 years old Malmsey

This wine shows a medium dark mahogany color, the nose is dominated by raisins, some roasted aromas and a little VA. The palate is very sweet but the sweetness is also perfectly counter-balanced with high acidity. Toffee is dominating the palate, but a little smokiness and the high acidity keep the wine from being cloying. The finish is also a little smoky so it all works out perfectly. This wine may not be the most complex one, but is powerful and very pleasant to drink. 90 points 10/2010

20 years old Terrantez

I never had this wine before so it was a huge surprise for me when I first saw this 20 years old Terrantez blend. The color is of brilliant medium dark iodine with a chestnut rim, the nose is sweet and nutty, rather subdued. The palate shifts into a higher gear with an initial soft feel of mainstream nutty sweetness, but then a slightly bitter, but typical Terrantez-backbone comes shining through. The wine evolves in your mouth into a wonderful example of Terrantez with a long and sweet finish that gives a glimpse of Terrantez-bitterness at the very end. Well done. I hope they put this on the market soon! 92 points 10/2010

 



Madeira Wine Company

5 years old Blandy Alvada

I like this entry level but very well made blend with its medium mahogany color and its rich and fruity nose. The sweet and very fruity palate and the surprisingly long fruity finish make this wine very easy to drink and very enjoyable. 90 points 10/2010

Cossart Gordon Colheita Sercial 1997

The bright straw color of this Colheita is very appealing; the sweet nutty nose with a little ginger and cinnamon is very elegant. The palate is dry and refreshing, nutty, a little ginger again in the background, lots of clean acidity and a dry nutty finish of medium length. 91 points 10/2010

Cossart Gordon Colheita Bual 1997

This Colheita shows a medium dark mahogany color with sweet and soft toffee nose with a touch of vanilla, hmmm. The palate is quite sweet, with lots of toffee, walnuts, a sweet vanilla backbone and a sweet almond finish of medium length. This is a nice and rather typical Bual Colheita. 92 points 10/2010

Cossart Gordon Colheita Verdelho 1998

The color of this Colheita is medium dark iodine, with a subdued nutty nose. The palate is rather sweet for the Verdelho range, but soft and elegant, with a nutty base and a soft toffee layer on top. Just when you think that this is a little mainstream some darker coffee aromas appear and lead over to a slightly bitter finish of medium length. An interesting wine! 92 points 10/2010

1976 Blandys Terrantez Vintage

This was my favorite wine last year in Hamburg and it repeated first place in 2010. The color is dark mahogany with a rather aggressive nose with volatile acidity, a little musk, dark and roasted aromas, then a touch of something wild, funky, leathery, waxy, hard to describe, but pleasant and very well fitting into the overall mysterious impression, and finally a lot of dried fruits. The nose keeps amazing me, even though I have had this wine a couple of times now. The palate is nutty sweetness at first, with powerful acidity, a layer of bitter walnut, lots of caramel, raisins, molasses, that wild, funky, leathery thing in the background again and then a long bitter walnut finish. Every time I just think: Wow, what a great wine, hard to believe it only had 21 years in cask. 94 points 10/2009

 



Vinhos Barbeitos

10 years old Verdelho

This Verdelho blend shows a rather bright iodine color, with an appealing fresh but nutty nose with a tough of wood in the background. The palate is quite sweet for the Verdelho range, but soft and mellow with a nice mélange of walnut, toffee and caramel, no roasted aromas whatsoever, so the overall impression of softness goes through until the walnut finish of medium length. This blend is perhaps a little mainstream, but the perfect wine to sip when it is cold and rainy outside. It was the first wine of the Madeira Master Class and really made me feel welcome. 90 points 10/2010

1988 Sercial Vintage

The color is cold bright iodine; the citrusy nose displays lots of lemon and orange aromas, fresh and zesty. The palate is highly acidic, a little fruity sweetness in the background, with lots of lemon and orange, but no nuttiness here. This is all about citrusy fruit aromas, with an acidic finish of medium length. Well done! 92 points 10/2010

2002 Colheita Canteiro Single Cask 110, Tinta Negra sweet

This Colheita has just been released and is the sweetest wine in the whole Barbeito range. The color is dark orange-yellow with a sweet nutty nose. The palate is very sweet, but there is also a lot of acidity to keep the wine in balance. The overall impression is richness, with sweet nuts, toffee, a little burnt sugar in the background and persistent acidity to keep the wine from being sticky sweet. The wine has been aged in a hot warehouse, you can tell that from the slightly burnt taste in the long sweet toffee finish. Wow, this is made from Tinta Negra, hard to believe, but just adding proof to the quality of the TNM grape. 92 points 10/2010

Vinhos Justino Henriques
10 years old fine dry

The wine has a medium bright warm brown with orange rim and a nose dominated by lemon and citrus aromas so intense it leaves the impression of a lemon candy. There is no nuttiness whatsoever, but intense fruit with a slightly vegetable-like background, still very pleasant though. The palate is dry, but with lots of fruity citrus aromas –pineapple, lemon, a little orange- leading to an almost sweet impression. This wine is all about citrus fruit, with an acidic finish of medium length, no toffee or caramel, very impressive and refreshing. 91 points 10/2010

1996 Colheita
This Colheita still is my favorite TNM wine, with its dark iodine brown color and its rich nose of figs, nuts and coffee. The wine is quite sweet on the palate, perfectly balanced with just the right amount of acidity, then toffee, almonds, walnuts, also some darker more roasted aromas as well. I have been following this wine for four years now and probably had it a dozen times. It seems to become more rounded and mellow, but the complexity and the long grapey finish still make it fun to drink every time. 92 points 10/2010




12/03/10--14:33: Viala, Vermorel and the grapes of Madeira (chan 1568815)

In 1901 Pierre Viala and Victor Vermorel started their monumental task of collecting knowledge of all the grape varieties used for viticulture by man. It took the two and about 70 other colleagues almost ten years until they completed the work in 1910. The work named “Traité Général de Viticulture – Ampelographie” was published by Masson et Cie, Paris and contained 7 heavy volumes. With more than 3000 pages and 50 pounds of solid book, they had collected 24.000 grape varieties, showing the most important of them on 500 chromolithographed plates, 70 engraved plates, and 840 engraved illustrations in the text. The first volume offers general information about grapes, grape biology and viticulture. Volumes II to VI contain information on different grape varieties a well as the beautifully chromolithographed plates. Volume VII is a dictionary on grape varieties, listing all the different synonyms.
F. Chempenois, Paris, the famous fine art printing company that produced most of Alphonse Mucha’s finest work, printed the 500 chromolithographed plates after the perfectly detailed drawings of A. Kreyder and J. Troncy. Many volumes were later sliced apart to sell single chromolithographed plates to wine lovers and collectors all over the world. Even after 100 years, the colors of the grapes still shine vibrantly and intense and are a joy to watch.

In 1991, exactly 90 years after the start of the works for Viala’s and Vermorel’s epic publication, Jeanne Laffitte, Marseille, edited a reprint of 1000 complete sets, almost as heavy and beautiful as the original. The French agricultural banking company Crédit Agricole had subsidized the re-edition of this monumental encyclopedia.

So how much did Viala, Vermorel and their colleagues know about the grapes used for the production of Madeira wine? With Madeira wine having a long and glorious history certainly experts like Viala and Vermorel must have mentioned the grapes of Madeira in their work.

And indeed they have: The Madeira grapes start with Verdelho de Madere in volume III at page 88. Bastardo appears in volume IV on page 208.The Boal grape is mentioned in volume VI, starting at page 213. Sercial can also be found in volume VI at page 218. It is not that easy with Malvasia, Moscatel and Terrantez. The first two simply have so many synonyms and varieties that it is quite hard to find the “real” Malvasia and Moscatel for Madeira. Malvasia Fina is mentioned in the dictionary, Malvasia Roja has its own chapter in volume VI at page 246. A Malvasia candida is not mentioned. The today used Moscatel grape is probably synonym to Muscat d’Alexandrie and can be found in volume III, page 108. But there is also a Muscat rouge de Madere in volume III at page 319. Terrantez is mentioned in volume VII in a few brief lines. Finally Tinta Negra mole appears as Tinta Molle in the dictionary in volume VII.

The general impression is that in 1901 to 1910 the grapes and wines of Madeira have not been of much importance to the wine drinking world. Interestingly enough some detailed information about the grapes of Madeira had been contributed by J. Duarte d’Oliveira, proprietaire-viticulteur in Porto. However he has no connection to the D'Oliveiras company, as Luís D’Oliveira told me.

The pictures below show some of the beautiful chromolithographs of the 1901-1910 work of Viala and Vermorel. From time to time it is possible to get some of the cut plates at auctions.



The seven volumes of the 1991 reprint by Jeanne Laffitte.

 



The title of Viala’s and Vermorel’s “Traité Général de Viticulture – Ampelographie”.

 



Chromolithograph of the Bastardo grape. Please note that the following chromolithographs

are taken from the original 1901-1910 edition. They were all cut from the original

volumes and mounted in frames, some of them slightly damaged in the process.

 



Chromolithograph of the Boal grape.

 



Chromolithograph of the Malvasia roja grape.

 



Chromolithograph of the Muscat rouge de Madere grape.

 



Chromolithograph of the Sercial grape.

 



Chromolithograph of the Verdelho de Madere grape.




08/25/11--12:23: William Neyle Habersham and Madeira wine (chan 1568815)

In 1817 William Neyle Habersham was born into the Habersham family of Savannah, Georgia. Growing up in a wealthy and well-known family he was introduced to life’s finest things, especially Madeira wine which was undoubtedly served on a regular basis at the Habersham’s family home Avon Hall, located in Vernonburg right at the banks of the Vernon river. The Habersham family had been linked with Georgia ever since James Habersham (1712-1775) had arrived in colonial Georgia in 1738. His three sons Joseph, John and James Jr participated in the revolutionary movement and later rose to influential positions in the state of Georgia. Especially Joseph left his mark in Georgia, having Habersham County in northern Georgia named in his honour, as well as numerous sites and streets throughout the state.

So the family was well established when William Neyle Habersham was born in 1817 as the great-grandson of Joseph and the son of Robert Habersham (1783-1870). Robert had been married three times, so there was a number of ten children. Becoming a successful businessman with the company Robert Habersham and Son, Inc., of which William was a copartner with Robert Beverly Habersham, he soon made himself a name as the most precise palate of his time, especially when it came to Madeira wine. He was said to be able to blindly name a wines year, grape variety and even vineyard. In his home in Savannah the excentric merchant collected Madeira wines, treating them to the sun in a specially-built glass-house as well as fining his wines with a secret method to increase the brilliance and clarity. Some say that he invented the light and pale type of Madeira wine called “Rainwater”. But not only did he collect vast amounts of Madeira wines, he also traded them to other collectors, building up a high reputation as the source of the finest Madeira wines available. His wines would often be named after the ships that had brought them over from Madeira island or after the characteristics of the pipe that they had been stored in. Famous Habersham Madeiras were the “Hurricane Madeira”, the “All Saints Madeira”, the “Painted Pipe Madeira” and others. Besides his Madeira wine interest he was an amateur flutist and an authority on salmon fishing.

In the Civil War his business came to a stop and personal tragedy hit William Neyle and his wife Josephine (1821-1893), when both their sons Joseph Clay and William Neyle Jr. were killed in the battle of Atlanta. After the war he continued his involvement in the Madeira wine trade, selling wine from his large stocks that had been hidden away during the war to the rich and wealthy in Baltimore, Boston, Charleston, Philadelphia, New York and Savannah. Habersham died in 1899, the rest of his collection was sold at auction in 1900. His wines helped to keep alive the tradition of the Madeira parties, brilliantly described in Silas Weir Mitchell’s story “A Madeira Party”. The complete text of this well-written and somewhat ironic story can be found at this website.

It was 1959 when a group of businessmen from Savannah consisting of Thomas Gignilliat, Dr. Thomas A. McGoldrick, Dr. Peter L. Scardino, Major General Haywood S. Hansell Jr. and Dr. Antonio J. Waring formed the Savannah Madeira Club to revive the tradition of the Savannah Madeira parties. The members kept meeting until the 1990ies and their meetings would take place at a member’s home, including dinner, several Madeira wines and the discussion of a paper or a lecture presented by one of the members. In 1976 they celebrated the Bicentennial with a special Madeira party, dressing in historic clothing and re-acting a party very close to what Mitchell had described in his book.

Visitors of today’s Savannah can do a "Madeira Tour" at the Davenport House and even though Avon Hall burned down in the 1970ies there is still a slave cabin at the original site in Vernonburg and a plaque set in the brick walkway leading to Avon Hall by William Neyle Habersham.



About a year ago I was able to pick up a bottle of old Madeira at auction. It had been found cleaning out the basement of an old house after the owner had died. The faded handwritten label was well legible and read: “from the cellars of the late William Neyle Habersham, Savannah, Cossart Gordon PP 1824, bottled from demijohn in 1906”. Below that comes a printed part reading “Morten & Co, 58 Broad Street, New York”. I was thrilled! Here was an original wine from one of the leading Madeira wine authorities of the 19^th century America and probably of all times. And could PP be short for the famous “Painted Pipe”? After all there is at least one other bottle of “Painted Pipe” Madeira in existence, decanted, demijohned and rebottled by Morten & Co of New York in 1907 for the Vanderbilt family. However the wine merchant Ward McAllister selling this bottle claimed the “Painted Pipe” to be imported in 1790 by Newton, Gordon, Murdoch and Scott (other reliable sources like Mannie Berk say McAllister claimed the wine to be imported in 1791 by Thomas Gibbons) and now on my bottle it said 1824? But this mystery can easily be solved. As Emanuel Berk clearly shows in his brilliant expanded second edition of Noel Cossart's "Madeira - the island vineyard", the famous wines traded by Habersham "were really only blends". This does not imply that these wines weren't of the best quality. In fact being blended by the master-palate of his time, some wines were so successful that they became sought-after "brands" and so Habersham needed to re-blend considerable quantities of his famous wines again and again. After Habersham's death, his remaining wines were sold by Arnold & Co in 1900. Among the many demijohns going into sale, there was one demijohn of "Painted Pipe" carrying the date of 1824. Even though the date seems to be fictitious, it was nevertheless used in the description of the wine. So since the bottle shows the 1824 date and has been bottled from demijohn by the same New York wine merchant like the Vanderbilt bottle and since it names Cossart Gordon on the label it might well be a “Painted Pipe” wine.



However there was another big question mark about this wine. When the bottle had been found, there had only been a small cork loosely sticking in the bottle neck, no capsule, no wax cover and the level had been low shoulder. At first the seller of this bottle wanted to throw the contents away, finding more value in the antique bottle than in the wine. I was able to convince him of putting a clean cork firmly into the bottle neck and then shipping it. Miraculously the bottle survived the transport, arriving in perfect shape.

First inspection of the bottle showed a classic three-part mold with the typical seems at the shoulder. The bottle lip had been added to the neck by the use of a lipping tool and the bottle itself was in great condition, without any cracks or chips. The label was well legible, handwritten with ink on faded paper, sticking to the glass with water-soluble glue. There were no signs of seepage on the bottle, being consistent with the bottle having been found in an upright position.

I couldn’t resist for long, so here is the tasting note from august 2011: The color of the wine is a beautifully brilliant but pale bright iodine, just like you would imagine from Habersham’s special and secret wine treatment (ok, I’m getting carried away a little here…, but the color is just amazing!), showing a hint of orange at the rim, reminding me of an old Cognac I once tasted (and did not like…). The nose offers piercing volatile acidity that makes your eyes water, lots of lovage, a little toffee, with a base layer of a slightly burned or signed buttery caramel and a hint of apricot at the end. The nose is very promising, even though the very high level of VA is rather disturbing. Finally when taking a sip all my hopes are crushed. The wine shows burning acidity, being no longer drinkable, giving a paint-thinner-like feel to the throat. Even though there is some thin and almost faded black tea taste, a hint of lemon and a woody and absolutely dry background like in an old Cognac, the wine is clearly long dead, resembling somewhat of a ghost of a once probably very good Madeira wine. So is it really the original wine? Probably yes, since in the hot climate of Savannah the Madeira wine drinkers of Habersham’s time often preferred light and dry wines that were not too sweet or too heavy. For example in the above-mentioned Arnold & Co's catalogue of Habersham's wines many Madeiras are described as pale, light or dry. And what grape variety could it be? Well, many of the wines weren’t made from a single grape variety back then. And as shown above, Habersham's wines were mainly blended wines. In the case of the "Painted Pipe" this wine had been made from 8 different Madeiras. And the wine surely tastes like a blend, lacking the individual characteristics of a single grape variety.

Even though the wine clearly does not live up to the expectations it raised, I do not regret buying that special bottle. Finding out about the history and the background of this wine was just so interesting and so much fun. I had to share this information with you and I hope you enjoy reading it.

PS: If somebody is able to supply additional information about Habersham Madeira wines, the Morten & Co company of NYC or even a picture of an old Habersham bottle, forwarding it to me is highly appreciated!

PSS: Further reading can be found at http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/ugapressbks/pdfs/ugp9780820334479.pdf showing the complete copy of “Ebb tide” by Spencer Bidwell King Jr., a very interesting book about the diary of William’s wife Josephine Clay Habersham which she kept in 1863, with many fine drawings as well as wonderful map of the Vernon river and the surroundings of Avon Hall. Also this book offers a lot of information about the Habersham family in general.

A general overview of Robert Habersham, William’s father, can be found in complete copy at http://library.armstrong.edu/Habersham_Robert.pdf also offering lots of additional information on the companies associated with the Habersham family.

Finally a beautiful booklet with wonderful pictures of Vernonburg, Georgia can be found at http://www.dot.state.ga.us/informationcenter/programs/environment/resources/outreach/Documents/Publications/Vernonburg-GA-Booklet.pdf .




11/13/11--06:05: Creating your own Madeira blend (chan 1568815)

Ever since starting to collect Madeira wines I had dreamed about creating and maturing my own blend. The initial plans were to buy a small wooden cask, import about 100 liters of Madeira wine and mature the wine in cask for a couple of years. Since the bulk export of Madeira wine is prohibited by European laws these days, the only way todo this today is to buy the wine per bottle. After long talks with friends in the wine producing business, I realized that a very small cask would add a heavy wood flavor to the wine much too strong. The ratio of wine to cask surface would require at least a cask of about 80 liters in volume. As I made plans to buy the cask, I soon found out that this was going to become a very expensive experiment. 80 liters would require about 115 bottles of 0,7 liters of a good quality 10 year old blend, adding up to 115 x 25 Euros = 2875 Euros. Adding a cask of medium quality would make a total of about 3000 Euros. So this project came to a sudden death before it even started.

By accident I found a 10 liter demijohn, when I cleaned out the cellar of my parent’s house. It had a very old-fashioned wicker-case around it with two big handles and so this thing asked for being taken away. The inside was covered with the crusty remains of some old wine and at first it would be very hard to clean the demijohn on the inside. Finally my mother came up with the idea of using strong chlorine bleach to clean it. So I filled the demijohn with a mixture of water and chlorine bleach for 36 hours, after that a high pressure water gun did the rest. Of course you can get new demijohns in all sizes, but since I had the “antique” one at hand, I wanted to put it to use.

Having realized I needed to start at a small scale, at a long weekend in February 2009 I set out with the 10 liter demijohn, 12 bottles of a 10 year old blend and a wide variety of old vintage Madeiras to add certain characteristics that the blend should later have. Like the 1835 Nicolas Brown Madere for acidity, or the 1900 Torreao Boal for a bitter coffee taste. This might sound a little too simple and I admit it took me two weeks of repeated blending of small batches (28 batches of the size of 50ml) before I even came close to what I had wanted in the first place. It took another couple of weekends in March and May and then (with all the limitations of a non-professional) I had finally created something worth repeating on a larger scale. So at the beginning of June I filled the glass bulb with about 10 liters of the MadeiraWineGuide blend. If you take the 10 year old blends with an exact age of 10 years, the medium age of this first version of the blend was 30 years, 29.6 years to be exact. If you take the 10 year old blend as one wine, a total of 7 different wines went into the blend.
It was my strong impression that the small batches of the first blending try-outs always improved with a few weeks of rest. So I planned to let the blend rest for a half a year, then do some fine adjustments if necessary. Since the wine was not in cask further maturing would be minimal of course, but my guess was that it would take some time for the different wines to blend together into a new, harmonious Madeira. Visiting the U.S. in June 2009, I brought a bottle of the blend for Roy Hersh who flattered me by rating the blend with 94 points when tasting it in February 2010.



Having been encouraged by the positive results I nevertheless wanted to perfect the blend a little more and do some fine-tuning. I had used to add portions of 100ml to the 10 liter total, so that the added wine would be exactly one percent of the whole amount. I certainly do not have a professional palate/nose, but when tasting and comparing a sample taken before the adding of a new wine with the result afterwards I could tell the change. So I stepped down to adding just 50ml (1/2 percent of the total volume) and this worked much better.
Another problem was acidity: Being limited to a 10 liter total I added rather concentrated wines to the blend because I was starting to run out of space in the demijohn. However all these concentrated wines pushed the levels of acidity up to scary levels. I'm an acid freak and I still like the level of acidity in this blend, but I'm afraid I can't add much more.

After adding a few small amounts of different wines, the second version of the blend is made from exactly 10 different wines (counting the 10 YO as one wine). The base is the 10 year old Boal blend from Barbeito, about 8 bottles of it. Other wines in the blend include the Nicolas Brown Madere 1835 for acidity, 1900 Adega de Torreao for a bitter coffee note, Borges 1935 Boal for a molasses finish, 1907 Blandy Boal for vanilla, 1878 Justino Fanal (probably TNM) for orange peel and so on. And by the way, when you count the 10 YO as exactly 10 years, the wine now has an average of 42 years, so I changed the name to 40 year old, and because of the little amounts of wine added, there is still the complete 10 liters left.

Right now I am not sure about what to do with the blend, now that it seems to be finished. Will I just let it rest there in its demijohn or should I bottle it completely and sit in my cellar and congratulate myself for the suddenly stuffed shelves? We will see…

PS: Judging from the auction lists of the huge American Madeira sales like the selling off of Habersham’s cellar and others, it seems to have been common practice to save the “lees” of old Madeira wines and collect them in demijohns. Even though this was surely not for the reason of blending, it still gave the owner the opportunity to gain another few bottles of Madeira wine. It might well be, that the lees of different wines were put into different demijohns, depending on a rough classification of sweetness or character. Nowadays you would have to be a heavy Madeira wine consumer to be able to produce enough Madeira wine leftovers to even start a demijohn with “lees”, but why not start at a smaller level with a single empty bottle and save the leftovers from a tasting?